Study: Rising Trends in Worsening Outcomes Among Adults Hospitalized with Diabetes

There is a troubling upward trend of heart arrhythmias and acute myocardial infarctions (AMIs), especially in young male prediabetic individuals, according to findings from a new study presented at the American Heart Association 2019 Scientific Sessions in Philadelphia.

“The prevalence of acute AMI and arrhythmia among prediabetics have not been analyzed on a large scale,” the study authors explained in their abstract. “We assessed the temporal trends in the prevalence of AMI and arrhythmia and subsequent inpatient mortality among prediabetics.”

In this cohort study, researchers assessed 3,667,391 adult hospitalizations, using information they obtained from the National Inpatient Sample (2007-2014). Subsequently, they measured the overall, age and sex-specific trends in the frequency of AMI and arrhythmia, as well as consequent inpatient mortality among prediabetics using linear-by-linear association methods.

According to the study results, 573 (24.5%) and 179,934 (4.9%) admissions revealed arrhythmia and AMI, respectively. The researchers observed that between 2007 and 2014, the frequency of AMI and arrhythmia among prediabetics increased by 17.4% and 32.5%, respectively. The results also showed that younger prediabetics patients, between the ages of 18 and 44, exhibited a maximum upsurge in the frequency of AMI and arrhythmia (relative increases by 25% and 46.1%). The researchers also reported a maximum rise in the frequency of arrhythmia among male prediabetics compared to female prediabetics of almost 34%. However, the researchers noted that the trends in AMI showed a higher increment in female prediabetics (relative increase, 15.2%) when compared to their male prediabetic counterparts. The study showed that prediabetics with arrhythmias (from 35.4% to 46.2%, relative increase by 30.5%) and AMI (from 13.4% to 15.5%, relative increase by 15.6%) are both groups that have seen a rising trend in in-patient all-cause mortality.

“Rising prevalence of arrhythmias and AMI, especially in young male prediabetics, and subsequent climbing inpatient mortality rates are alarming,” the researchers concluded.